9-Month vs. Year-Round

Posted on July 25th, 2008

Q. What are several reasons that a nine-month RCIA program is problematic? What are some suggestions for a parish planning to move to a year-round RCIA process?

A. Nine-months (i.e., the school-year model) is often too brief, especially for catechumens (see RCIA 76-77, National Statutes 6) to accomplish a thoroughly comprehensive formation envision by the Church. As well, because of the lack of time, the period of purification and enlightenment often gets appropriated as time to continue to try to unfold the Deposit of Faith (largely indistinguishable from the preceding catechumenate period), which is not what is envisioned by the RCIA text (see RCIA 139). This short period of time also fosters the temptation to try to get participants to all “finish up” by Easter, and to go through the Rites always as a group, rather than allowing individuals to freely discern their own readiness without the pressure of a calendar. Finally, a nine-month program is often not open, welcoming, or well-suited to inquirers who approach the parish at “inconvenient” times of the year. Most parishes that have developed the year-round process implied in the RCIA text have done so incrementally, after some years of living with the nine-month model while they worked to develop a team capable of offering a year-round catechumenate. Once implemented, a year-round process usually features a precatechumenate team (which may be as simple as a married couple who offers a Bible study, suited to inquirers, that is always open to newcomers, or as complex as a multiple-member team that provides much more diverse pastoral attention). Once an inquirer decides to go through the Rite of Acceptance or the Rite of Welcoming, then that he or she would transition to a new team – the catechumenate team, which would shepherd the person all the way through mystagogy. Some parishes develop a neophyte team as well, which, again, might be as simple as an in-home weekly or bi-weekly Bible study, a couple of people from the catechumenate team who meet once a month with neophytes, or more complex full-team experience. One of the basic challenges is to ensure that at least something, even if it is not ideal, is available over the summer, and that in some way inquirers can be helped at whatever point in the year God sends them to the parish. The call is to be willing to move incrementally in the right direction, step by step, always depending prayerfully on the provision of the Lord for your parish situation.

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3 Responses to “9-Month vs. Year-Round”

1. GBO Says:
   August 26th, 2008 at 8:22 am

   Nine months seemed like an eternity. In my experience in RCIA and in attending weekly meetings as a sponsor more than once, I found that catechumens/candidates entered RCIA with widely varying levels of understanding of the Catholic Church and its beliefs and practices. Given that we will not be going back to days of one-to-one instruction with a priest, I still would like to see more individualization in the RCIA program. I’m not sure that adding time and introducing new levels in RCIA is the way to do that. Thorough training for anyone dealing with inquirers at any level — even an in-home Bible study — would be essential. I think we are fortunate in our parish to have a longtime permanent deacon who is in charge of the program. He has assistance from lay members on the team, but there is no doubt about who is the authority on what the Church teaches. Perhaps with more men being ordained to the permanent diaconate, there will be more deacons involved in RCIA formation.

2. DLM Says:
   June 21st, 2009 at 10:56 pm

   I have mixed feelings about it. Over a two-year period, I twice started RCIA at a church that did year round, but I was so alone in my process that both times I gave up and dropped out before the Rite of Welcome (I was a candidate).

   I finally went to another parish that did a 9-month RCIA with everyone together as a single group, and that worked better for me not feeling so isolated. As a result, I did not drop out, and eventually received my sacraments.

   I probably would have done better going year-round, in my case, if I still could have been a part of a larger group making the journey on the same schedule as myself.

3. SBG Says:
   September 17th, 2010 at 10:44 am

   I am the RCIA director for a relatively small parish on an Army post. Military parishes, of necessity, are made up primarily of transients. Additionally, we are at war and many are deployed multiple times. The nine month regimen is our only choice and even that is difficult. We believe that the Holy Spirit gives us what we need to accomplish our goals but from a human perspective, it is a daunting task. I am always amazed how well it goes despite the apparent limitations.

   Gloria in excelsis Deo.

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